Atomism, or scientific materialism as it’s known today, has not changed much since the time of Greek and Buddhist Atomists. Having scrubbed the cosmos clean of every trace of God and ‘self’ (soul/spirit) it was not until our own age that the fools discovered they could no longer account for life either. This is why Francis Crick and some other materialists have moved away from abiogenesis toward the idea of panspermia.
Materialism is metaphysical nihilism, meaning that without God, soul/spirit and an ultimate source for life, all that is left for Hawkings, et al, is the unreality of existence.
Yet they go on touching the hot plate.
Go figure.
So very true, dear sister in Christ!